A Book Blog

Monthly Archives: September 2014

Banned Books Week seeks to increase public awareness about the challenging and banning of books that occurs every year. You can visit ala.org/bbooks to learn more and to see the lists of frequently challenged books by year.

One of my favorite banned books is To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. This book is on the list of banned and/or challenged classics as well as the top 10 frequently challenged books list for 2011. The reasons for the challenges are most often due to language and racism.

The novel is told from the point of view of six-year-old Scout Finch in 1930’s Alabama. She tells the story of her father, Atticus Finch, a lawyer defending a black man charged with the rape of a white woman.

Lee herself, born in 1926, grew up in 1930’s Alabama. I think the author does her best to capture that time through the eyes of a child. It provides no benefit to whitewash the world and the way it is or was. The point of supporting banned books is to support our right to read books that make the reader think critically and honestly.

Several books I read for school in middle and high school can be found on the frequently challenged lists. What is your favorite book from the banned book list?

The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure
By William Goldman

My favorite movie has always been The Princess Bride. I have seen it so many times, I can’t even count, and I could probably recite the movie word for word. Little to say, for a long time I had misgivings about picking up the book. I was terribly frightened that the book would ruin the movie for me. Happily, I could not be more wrong! Anybody who has seen the movie, but has yet to read the book, go to the bookstore or library right now! Anybody who has read the book, but not seen the movie, go to the video store, or rent it. For those who have never seen nor read this story, I hope you’ve enjoyed your cave, but it’s time to come out.

The Princess Bride is a so-called “good parts” abridgement of S. Morgenstern’s original story. It provides an excellent combination of humor, adventure, fantasy, and romance, along with satirical introduction and interludes by Goldman. In the story, Buttercup starts off as a farmer’s daughter, but after her true love, Westley, goes off to sea and his ship falls victim to the Dread Pirate Roberts, she becomes engaged to Prince Humperdink. Meanwhile, their country of Florin is on the brink of war with the neighboring Guilder. The story is rife with love, revenge, pirates, magic, giants, political intrigue, kidnappings, sword duels, torture, and much more!

Watching the movie, I fell in love with the characters. After reading the book, I fell in love even more. The book takes the liberty of delving into back-story that the movie doesn’t have much time to address. William Goldman is the author of both the novel and the screen play, and he did a fantastic job adapting the book to the silver screen. There are, of course, some minor changes, but nothing that changes the effect of the story. There always have to be some changes to make a screenplay fit time and budget constraints.

The only negative reviews I have ever read on this book have revolved around the author’s commentary throughout the book and the assumption that it is truthful. It is important to understand that the entire introduction and commentary by Goldman is pure satire. It is as much a part of the story in the novel as the grandfather reading The Princess Bride book to his sick grandson is part of the story in the movie. Neither would be quite the same without.

Hello, and welcome to my new blog! I’m starting this blog because I love to read, and I wanted my own place where I can share my thoughts and ideas about books. If you want to get in touch with me, there is a contact form on the About Me page.